It is a cosy rainy morning here in the city in Minnesota. I know around the country the rain is not very welcoming right now but for us at this moment we are slowing coming out of a four year drought and the rain has been gentle and coming every few days. Perfect for a gardener and the soil. This rain is soaking in slowly and not running off in a torrent like I have seen in places like Texas or Tennessee.
The trees are greening up and the plants are all standing a bit taller. There is a collective sigh of relief from plants, and animal life – including the humans.
The rain also gives me time to pause in the spring rush to plant. Time to look closely as what needs to be done or is already done. In this stepping back for a morning I also realized that it is the small details that make a difference in what we do.
I have completed a lot of tasks but things have not felt quite finished. There seemed to be something that still needed doing. I was confused. I think it is in the details!
I moved on to my watercolor work for my class since gardener was not going to happen in the rain and I couldn’t see what I needed to do just yet. I am taking a class on textures. It is the “how to” of paint shiny plants like red peppers or thorny items like rose branches and fluffy things like Pussy willow puffs. All these items are small and the work is very detailed. We are using tiny brushes and magnifying glasses to see the detail. I started with the thought does it really make a difference? If I can’t see it without a magnifier will any one notice.
I working my way through the thorns and Pussy willow and found myself struggling with the red pepper and the small rhubarb leave with all the bumps. I keep asking myself why does the teachers samples look so real and my look ok but not real? It is this morning that it hit me. The difference is in the details. The tiny little strokes or marks that change the color or the depth of the leaf or twig. Just a small amount of dark brown paint or a dark blue for shadow put on the right place makes it look rounded or bumpy and not flat on the page.
I took a break to rest my eyes and started looking around. The neighbor is reworking the old raised beds next door. The ones I have used for the last few years before they moved in. They had a old and rusty fence around them. The beds themselves are old and the pathways had black garden cloth on them that was ripping. I planted in them but since the property was not mine I did not change anything. I had permission to plant. Now they have added new wood chips to the pathways and are building a wood framed fence around the six beds. They have not finished but changing these details has made the area look great. The beds are still old but everything else makes the area stand out. Once planted it will be glorious this summer. The little details are making all the difference.
Turning back to my own garden I realize the mowing this weekend made the yard that I was struggling with look so much better. Trimming around the raised beds changed how everything looked. Adding a bit of new mulch around the edges of garden beds cleaned things up and gave the area a finished look. Again a big change was not needed it was just in the finishing details that pulled things together.
So as I look at my writing I stop to think about the details. The editing of a blog post – changing a word here of there. The dropping of a sentence or two that are just not needed can make a the piece feel tighter and more together. Details!
Now looking again at my painting it is those tiny details that I see the more accomplished painters adding that makes a flower or fruit look real on the page. It might only be a couple small darker dots and suddenly the whole image changes. It is an amazing process.
Taking the time to look for the final details can change everything. A freshly mowed yard can look not complete when the sidewalk is full of grass clipping and the edges are not trimmed. Check it out – look at a yard that is mowed, trimmed and swept compared to one just mowed.
Check out a piece of writing that has need to be edited – check for spelling/typo’s and sentence structure. It does not take long but boy does it make a difference. I know because the spelling/typo issue pops up for me all the time. I am a writer in a hurry and then I am always sorry when I return to a piece with misspelled words.
Final clean up makes a difference – checking the details weather it is gardening, writing, or painting the devil is in the details. I am learning to slow down and seek for what details have I missed. What small changes can I make and will it make a difference? In most cases it will!
Are there details in your life that make a difference? The extra spice on the chicken or a special dressing for the salad. A lesson plan that you added one small detail that made the kids sit up and focus. If you look you will find it. Are things better when you pull it together with a few details?
Think about! What details have made a difference for you?
Just for fun – a couple pictures of iris – one getting ready to bloom after the rain and three who bloomed early this morning. Check out the details in shapes and colors. Great fun on a rainy day!
Words from JL 
What a beautiful slice, Joanne. There’s so much detail in all of it– the writing, the painting, the pictures. Love what you notice, what you create, and what you share.
As usual, it gives me great joy to see your garden. We are a bit further ahead in the season, here in Maryland, and our flowers have enjoyed those gentle rains – it’s been a gorgeous, slow spring. I am riveted by you working small brushese and a magnifying glass to create detailed paintings. You have shared great wisdom – “Taking the time to look for the final details can change everything.”